Crankcase emission liquid collector



May 10, 1966 H. F. LUSK 3,250,062

CRANKCASE EMISSION LIQUID COLLECTOR Filed July 20, 1964 INVENTOR.

FIG 2 BY SELF United States Patent 3,250,062 CRANKCASE EMISSION LIQUID COLLECTOR Hilton Frank Lusk, 2633 Marshall Way,

Sacramento, Calif. Filed July 20, 1964, Ser. No. 391,825 4 Claims. -(Cl. 55-358) In consideration of the cooperation extended in connection with the experimental development of my crankcase emission liquid collector and of the testing of the effectiveness of the same on vehicles in the fleet of the California Division of Highways, I hereby agree that the State of California may manufacturein its own shops for its own use, and use as many such shop made devices that may be covered by this patent as it may desire without payment of any license, royalty or other fee. I hereby assign to the State of California such shop rights, this assignment being made in consideration of the matters above stated.

My invention relates to that class of liquid collectors which continuously separates and collects liquids from a flow of a mixture of gas and liquid as it passes through the collector. The preferred form of my invention employs the centrifuging vortex action of tangentially dirccted mixture inflow to assist in the separation of the liquid from the gas.

: oxidation products from oil; and crankcase oil.

One object of my invention is to provide a means to reduce the inflow of engine-fouling liquid pollutant from the crankcase b-lowaby .emissions into an internal combustion engine when these emissions are conducted by crankcase emission control devices from the crankcase into the engine inlet manifold and thence into the combustion chambers.

A further object of my invention is to provide a feasible means to effectively result in removal of deposits from between piston rings and their piston ring grooves thus freeing the rings and to enable them to more efficiently perform their sealing task and decrease engine blowby.

I have discovered this engine-cleaning capability of my invention. I

A further object of my invention is to provide a reliable device to indicate the current mechanical condition of an internal combustion engine by responding to the piston ring to cylinder sealing effectiveness in terms of the rate of collection of liquid from crankcase emissions. I have discovered this capability of my invention. Various other objects of my invention are apparent' from the following particular description and discussion of the theory of operation of the invention.

At present, most crankcase pollution control devices lead the crankcase b-lo'w-by emissions through a positive crankcase vent valve and related conduit system from the crankcase into the inlet manifold. The positive crankcase vent valve is usually modulated by variation in the inlet manifold pressure or by variation in the crankcase pressure. v t

It is understood that my invention is best used on gasoline engines in conjunction with some type of valve that will maintain the proper fuel-air ratio for good combustion in the engine through the wide range of pressure variation resulting from changes in inlet manifold vacuum in the range from idle and deceleration to full power application. For application to diesel engines in order to obtain theengine-cleaning and the engine analysis capability of my invention, there is no need to use a modulating valve in 'cong'u'nction with my invention.

As engines become worn, or when the pick-up unit of the crankcase pollution :control device is installed in a critical position where excessive crankcase oil may enter, the crankcase blow-by emission contains an appreciable amount of liquid contaminants consisting of 'water from 3,250,062 Patented May 10, 1966 combustion of the fuel and condensed moisture from the atmosphere; gums, resins and varnish; acids and other This engine-fouling material contributes to the formation of a carbonacious-type deposit in the inlet ports, on the inlet valves, and on the inlet valve stems and guides and other parts. When this deposit build-up is such as to prevent the proper closing of the inlet valves, compression is insuflicient to provide a proper running engine. It is then necessary to remove the cylinder head and clean out the inlet ports and system. My invention avoids such inlet system build-up of fouling material. It is understood that my invention is not limited in its application to the separation of liquid from a gas-liquid mixture in the blow by emission from an engine crankcase but it is applicable to such separation and collection of liquid from any flowing gasliquid mixture however created.

To these ends my invention consists in certain novel features which I will now describe and will then particularly point out in the claims.

On a gas-liquid separator and collector of the character to which this invention relates the incoming gasliquid mixture enters a chamber on a tangential path near the internal periphery of the chamber and assumes a rotating flow patterncreating a vortex which hurls the more. dense material, which is the liquid, toward the restraining surface of the chamber. The gas is left in the center of the vortex and exits through the centrally located outlet opening.

In the accompanying drawings, FIGURE 1 is a top view of a device embodying my invention in one form. FIGURE =2 is an elevation view in partial cross-section of the same taken essentially on line 22 of FIGURE 1. In this illustrative embodiment the device as shown largely comprises components that are readily available at low cost in the hardware industry. I will point out some of the advantages of this mode of construction.

Collecting chamber '1 is :a wide mouth Mason canning jar complete with lid 2 and ring 3. Advantages of this form of collecting chamber are safety and economy. If a backfire or other source of high internal pressure occurs, I have observed that the jar slips out of the threads in the ring without breaking the glass and simply dangles on the short flexible anchor line 4 to which it is attached by means of the clamp -5. The upper end of the flexible anchor line is fastened to a snap '6 which is engaged at an appropriately located anchor hole 7 on the support bracket 8.

When this occurs, the operator unsnaps the anchor line, and screws the jar back in place. I have observed that the threads in the cap ring are not damaged since the ring material is sufficiently elastic to return to original shape without permanent set or deformation.

The glass jar may become firmly attached to the ring as the result of gums and other chemicals acting as a strong adhesive. Then, I have observed, the ring pulls over the lid, without breaking the glass jar and the jar dangles on the anchor line 4 as before. However, the lid will be destroyed and replacement of the inexpensive lid will be necessary.

Use of a well engineered Mason canning jar has advantages but is not essential, in this mode of construction of my invention. It has a built-in safeguard against backfire and a large factor of safety against possible internal explosion, and is inexpensive to replace. Any other suitable materi-al may be used for the chamber.

The collecting chamber 1 should betranslparent or be provided with means so the person servicing the engine can easily see when it should be emptied. In this case the snap 6 is disengaged, the jar is unscrewed from the cap, carried to the disposal and emptied.

It is then screwed back into the cap, the snap secured to the anchor bracket, and the device is again ready for service. In case of a badly worn engine, it may be advisable to employ a large size jar to prolong the need for emptying.

The jar cap is firmly fastened to the support bracket 8 and distortion of the lid is avoided by using an appropriate spacer 9 between the lid and bracket.

The gas-liquid mixture is admitted to the chamber through the inlet fitting 10. At the bottom of this fitting is placed an elbow or nozzle 11 which imparts an initial tangential velocity component to produce a vortex flow pattern to the infiowing mixture. It is recommended that the inlet fitting 10 be located with the elbow nozzle as close to the internal periphery of the jar as practical and yet avoid physical interference with the jar when the jar is being screwed into or removed from the cap.

It is important that the elbow nozzle 11 be so oriented that the vortex flow be in a direction such as to tighten the jar into the threads of the cap. I have observed that a reverse orientation of the elbow nozzle 11 will cause the jar to unscrew. A short anchor line will prevent complete unscrewing of the jar from the cap.

A locking nut 12 firmly fastens the elbow-lid-spacerbracket combination together and maintains the elbow nozzle in proper orientation, and assures rigidity of the inlet fitting when the connecting hose is manipulated. Sealing the elbow to the lid and the locking nut to the bracket with appropriate cement is recommended but not essential to the invention. It is also recommendedthat the cap ring 3 be sealed to the support bracket 8 to assure that the ring will not rotate when the jar is being screwed tightly into the ring.

The gas, essentially freed from the liquid, is discharged from the chamber 1 through the outlet fitting 13 which is located at or near the center of chamber 1. A stop nut or a shoulder 14 located at the bottom of the fitting and a locking nut 15 located on the upper exterior of the mounting bracket 8 firmly fasten the lid-spacer-bracket combination together and assure rigidity of the outlet fitting when the connecting hose is manipulated. It is recommended, although not essential to my invention, that the lower stop nut or shoulder be sealed to the lid with appropriate cement to secure this fitting and also avoid leaking of the smog-producing pollutant to the atmosphere. It is also advisable to seal the upper locking nut 15 with appropriate cement to assure its retention in place.

Suitable holes 16 are provided in the mounting bracket 8 for attaching the device to the vehicle.

It should be clearly understood that the expression or equivalent means is applicable to all of the items in the above description. This expression is omitted in the interest of brevity in reading the description of this mode of my invention.

Having fully described one mode of my invention, I will now describe the fundamental theory of operation of my invention.

In a flow system or conduit having continuity, a gasvapor-liquid mixture flows because of a pressure differential and the flow is from the higher pressure toward the relative lower pressure. This pressure differential may be created by means of a fluid compressor or pump. It is also created in the internal combustion engine by the differential between the crankcase blow-by pressure and the inlet manifold pressure or vacuum when the crank case is connected to the inlet manifold by a gas carrying system or conduit having continuity. I

This pressure difference causes the crankcase blow-by emissions to flow from the crankcase to the inlet manifold through any of variously available crankcase pollution control devices mounted on many gasoline engines.

The blow-by emissions contain pollutants of two basic kinds. One is essentially vaporized gasoline and air mix-- ture. This pollutant is largely made up of light-end hydrocarbons and when discharged to the atmosphere and acted upon by sunlight, undergoes rather complex chemical processes to form photochemical smog. This is the portion of the crankcase emission which crankcase pollution control devices are designed to conduct into the inlet manifold and thence, into the engine cylinders where they are burned in the combustion process and are then no longer smog producing.

The second type of pollutant from crankcase emission does not materially contribute to the production of photochemical smog. This includes, in liquid or vapor form, usually apparent only in liquid form, the following; water from combustion of the gasoline and water from the atmosphere; gums, resins and varnish; acids and other products from oxidized oil; and crankcase oil. This is the predominant engine-fouling liquid in crankcase emission from engines and increases when engines are worn and where the pistons and piston rings no longer form a good seal with the cylinder wall.

This nonsmog producing engine-fouling pollutant can be exposed to the atmosphere without making a material contribution to the production of photochemical smog. As pointed out above, an important objective of my invention is to collect this engine-fouling but nonsmog producing pollutant before it gets into the engine through the crankcase pollution control device.

As the gas-liquid mixture enters the collection chamber it expands to larger volume and therefore cools by saturated adiabatic cooling. As the mixture is subjected to centrifuging in the vortex created in the chamber the radial pressure at the surface of the chamber is appreciably increased due to centripetal force on the fluid particles. The reacting pressure energy of the gas in the mixture is therefore increased. This energy comes from the total energy in the gas and therefore accounts for a further decrease in temperature. Both causes for temperature decrease supplement each other and result in increased condensation of vapor in the chamber. This adds to the efficiency of the device in separating gas-liquidvapor mixtures. It more effectively separates out liquid forming material and delivers gas in a drier state.

This principle applies equally well to the separation of oil and water from the air delivered by a compressor. It serves to supply clean dry air from any type air compressor. The degree of dryness is only limited by the extent of expansion and centrifuging to which the inflow air is subjected.

Having thus fully described my invention and described the fundamental theory of its operation, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A device to collect liquid contaminants from a mixture of gas and liquid, comprising an upright supported wide mouth Mason canning jar or the equivalent, complete with lid or cap, a suitable support bracket, a suitable spacer between jar cap and bracket, two pipe nipple fittings or the equivalent passing through bracket, spacer and jar cap; with one outlet nipple centrally located and the other inlet nipple located off center in the jar cap, with suitable locking nuts on the nipples immediately above the bracket, with locking nut on the outlet nipple immediately below the cap, with a pipefitting elbow on the inlet nipple immediately below the cap; providing for assembly of jar cap, spacer and bracket to form a complete rigid whole; with said inlet nipple and attached elbow located close to the side of the jar cap but where the elbow will not interfere with the jar when being positioned into the threaded cap, with said elbow installed in such manner as to form an inlet nozzle imparting to the flow of incoming gas-liquid mixture a velocity having a component in a direction parallel to a tangent to the interior surface of the jar and oriented in sense such that friction from the induced vortex action will tend to tighten the jar into the threads of the cap; the device to be suitably sealed to avoid leakage, a suitable safety anchoring attachment such that the jar will dangle or be supported should it be forced from the capby internal pressure, the whole substantially as described in the description portion above and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

2. A device to collect liquid contaminants from a through-flowing mixture of gas and liquid, comprising a single-compartment jar having an essentially cylindrical shape, cap-supported with axis upright; with cap substantially sealed except for tubular inlet and outlet openings passing through the cap, with tubular outlet centrally disposed, with tubular inlet placed off center with respect to the jar axis and provided with a bend at the discharge end that will impart to the flow of incoming gas-liquid mixture a velocity having a component in a direction parallel to a tangent to the interior surface of the jar thereby producing vortex flow in the jar contents; a suitable bracket to support the jar cap, the jar cap and the bracket to be held rigidly together between suitable locking means disposed on the inlet and outlet tubes above the bracket and below the cap; the attachment of jar to cap to provide means for conveniently removing the jar from the supporting cap to empty the collected liquid and reinstalling the jar into the cap, a suitable safety anchoring attachment such that the jar will dangle or be supported should it be forced from the cap by internal pressure; the whole substantially as described in the description portion above and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, except that simple tubes and tube clips are used instead of pipe fittings and the jar and cap may be other than a Mason canning jar and cap.

3. A device to collect liquid contaminants from a through-flowing mixture of gas and liquid, comprising an upright supported wide mouth Mason canning jar or the equivalent complete with a cap substantially sealed except for inlet and outlet openings, the cap supported on a suitable bracket; two tubes extending through jar cap and bracket, with one tube positioned essentially normal to the jar cap and located at any convenient place on the jar cap to form an outlet, the other tube being essentially straight and located oif center with respect'to the jar axis and inserted through the cap at an acute angle with respect to the jar cap to form an inlet that will impart to the flow of incoming gas-liquid mixture a velocity having a component with direction parallel to a tangent to the interior surface of the jar thereby producing vortex flow in the contents of the jar, with suitable locking means on said tubes to hold the jar cap and bracket and tubes together as a rigid whole; the attachment of jar to cap to form a convenient means for removing the jar from the supporting cap to empty the collected liquid and reinstalling the jar into the cap, a safety anchoring attachtment to catch and support the jar should it be forced out of the cap by internal pressure; the whole substantially as described in the description portion above and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, except that simple unbent tubes and simple tube clips are used instead of pipe fittings and the jar and cap may be other than a Mason canning jar and cap.

4. A device to collect liquid contaminants from a through-flowing mixture of gas and liquid, comprising a single-compartment cylindrical jar supported in upright lposition from a cap made integral with a suitable mounting bracket, the cap substantially sealed except for tubular inlet and outlet openings, the discharge end of the tubular inlet opening being off center with respect to the jar axis and bent or shaped to impart to the inflowing mixture of gas and liquid a velocity having a component with direction parallel to a tangent to the interior surface of said jar thereby producing vortex flow in the contents of the jar; the outlet opening located in the cap at any convenient position so as not to interfere with the inlet opening; the cap-to-jar fastening to provide a convenient means for removing the jar from the supporting cap to empty the collected liquid and reinstalling the jar into the cap, a safety anchoring attachment to catch and support the jar should it be forced out of the cap by internal pressure; the whole substantially as described in the description portion above and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, except that the parts may be molded or cast in plastic or other suitable material.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,402,784 1/1922 Moore -459 1,613,789 1/1927 Devary 123-119 1,960,982 5/1934 Stover 123-119 1,990,657 2/1935 Krieck 123-119 2,208,673 7/1940 Hopkins 123-119 2,226,405 12/ 1946 Krieck 123-119 2,604,186 7/ 1952 Beckett 123-119 2,759,558 8/1956 Bourne 55-459 3,030,942 4/ 1962 Thompson 123-119 3,164,141 1/1965 Jones 123-119 KARL J. ALBRECHT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE TO COLLECT LIQUID CONTAMINANTS FROM A MIXTURE OF GAS AND LIQUID, COMPRISING AN UPRIGHT SUPPORTED WIDE MOUTH MASON CANNING JAR OR THE EQUIVALENT, COMPLETE WITH LID OR CAP, A SUITABLE SUPPORT BRACKET, OR SUITABLE SPACER BETWEEN JAR CAP AND BRACKET, TWO PIPE NIPPLE FITTINGS OR THE EQUIVALENT PASSING THROUGH BRACKET, SPACER AND JAR CAP; WITH ONE OUTLET NIPPLE CENTRALLY LOCATED AND THE OTHER INLET NIPPLE LOCATED OFF CENTER IN THE JAR CAP, WITH SUITABLE LOCKING NUTS ON THE NIPPLES IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE BRACKET, WITH LOCKING NUT ON THE OUTLET NIPPLE IMMEDIATELY BELOW THE CAP, WITH A PIPE FITTING ELBOW ON THE INLET NIPPLE IMMEDIATELY BELOW THE CAP; PROVIDING FOR ASSEMBLY OF JAR CAP, SPACER AND BRACKET TO FORM A COMPLETE RIGID WHOLE; WITH SAID INLET NIPPLE AND ATTACHED ELBOW LOCATED CLOSE TO THE SIDE OF THE JAR CAP BUT WHERE THE ELBOW WILL NOT INTERFERE WITH THE JAR WHEN BEING POSITIONED INTO THE THREADED CAP, WITH SAID ELBOW INSTALLED IN SUCH MANNER AS TO FORM AN INLET NOZZLE IMPARTING TO THE FLOW OF INCOMING GAS-LIQUID MIXTURE A VELOCITY HAVING A COMPONENT IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO A TANGENT TO THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE JAR AND ORIENTED IN SENSE SUCH THAT FRICTION FROM THE INDUCED VORTEX ACTION WILL TEND TO TIGHTEN THE JAR INTO THE THREADS OF THE CAP; THE DEVICE TO BE SUITABLY SEALED TO AVOID LEAKAGE, A SUITABLE SAFETY ANCHORING ATTACHMENT SUCH THAT THE JAR WILL DANGLE OR BE SUPPORTED SHOULD IT BE FORCED FROM THE CAP BY INTERNAL PRESSURE, THE WHOLE SUBSTANTIALLY AS DESCRIBED IN THE DESCRIPTION PORTION ABOVE AND ILLUSTRATED IN THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING. 